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Is 75 enough?

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I've been looking into getting an Oscar for awhile now, and picked up a nice 75 tank and stand. Now I'm reading 75 is the absolute minimum, and that kind of scares me. If I step onto an elevator, I hope its got more than the absolute minimum tensile strength to hold me suspended above 9 floors. Is 75 minimum for necessities of life, or is an Oscar going to enjoy a 75. Earlier today I was looking up a couple fish to put in with one, now I'm wondering if my tank is going to be a good home for just the one fish. Anyone out there keep happy Oscars in tanks of this size?

He can be healthy and be king of his castle all alone and will be fine.

My nearly 11" Oscar is solo in a 6' 100 and moving to a 125 soon-ish [With company - Which I am legitimately concerned about since he has never had any company he didn't eat {Home raised feeder mollys}].

He went from a 55 when he was 9" to the 100 so I cannot speak to having an adult in a 75, I would use my empty 75 for him if I had to without hesitation but I wouldn't give him any company.

I fully agree that a 75 is the minimal tank required for an adult Oscar but I wouldn't expect to keep much company with him, IF any.

Keep in mind that any tank mates must be large enough to not be considered food and when you start piling sizable fish into a 75 you run out room really really quickly.

Another factor is if your Oscar will accept company or not because if the answer is 'not' there is nowhere for the other stock to go to get out of 'his territory' in a 75g tank and that will not end well.

Having adequate filtration is of course a MUST but that is the easiest issue to fix here [And we covered it already IIRC :-D].

Not sure if that helps but...

Last edited by Goes to 11!; 09-26-2012 at 10:01 PM.

Gas mileage isn't everythingOIIIIIIIOLack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part.Why pretend there are no stupid questions? Actually, There are many stupid questions: "Should I drink this bleach?" Is just one example.
Having said that, Just because it's a stupid question doesn't mean that it shouldn't be asked. It's better to know.A warm beer is better than a cold beer. Because nothing is better than a cold beer, and a warm beer is better than nothing.

It is not really the volume of water that matters...it is the foot print and 75s offer the minimum foot print an adult O needs and plenty of gallons to dilute the waste. Domestic Os rarely get over 12-13"...so the fish will be quite comfortable in the tank for life.

Tankmates can be iffy...however I will say if the O is reared WITH other fish it is not usually a concern...especially with domestic fish. Wild caught fish are usually more aggressive, so you could see some issues if the fish were wild but still raising the fish with tankmates usually yields success if you select the right species for the tank size. In a 75G a convict or firemouth and a male BN pleco could be excellent companions for the O...simply provide a piece of wood or something the smaller fish could hide away from the O. You could also keep a Bichir...Delhezi are excellent options given their heavy armor and girth.

Filtration should be heavy....a large canister like an XP3 or 406 combined with 1-2 AC110s would be perfect.

Thanks for the replies, its good to hear I can still have an oscar. It's one thing thing for someone to say what their opinion on a good tank is, and another for a responsible fish owner to say they wouldn't hesitate to house their own fish in the same tank. You've put my mind at ease, 850R

I might try a firemouth or convict as a tankmate, introduced at the same time. I'd love a BN pleco, but I've heard some say the Oscar might go for him, and the BN could get lodged in the fish because of the defensive spikes. Do they grow large enough, fast enough if introduced when the Oscar is young, to stay safe?

I also like Pictus Cats, but have heard similar things. I've also heard the long whiskers disturb the Oscar when it sleeps, but that sounds like there is a Oscar whisperer out there.

Make sure your O is around 4" before adding a baby convict....cons are actually quite aggressive and a small O could easily get its arse kicked by a con. If you opt for a male BN they grow to around 5" and are thick bodied and heavily armored....I keep BNs in my 150G with a 13" O...no issues. Of course the plecos keep out of the way of the O and primarily stick to the wood.

I see people here are 100% certain that a 75g is a bare minimum and anything else is a huge no no. However it's not true, one adult Oscar requires at least 50g tank. Usually oscars get to 12"- 16" in a tank, depending on the size of the tank but grow more in the wild. So one adult is totally fine in a 50g, that said, the bigger the tank the better.

However it's not true, one adult Oscar requires at least 50g tank. Usually oscars get to 12"- 16" in a tank, depending on the size of the tank but grow more in the wild. So one adult is totally fine in a 50g, that said, the bigger the tank the better.

I am one of those 100% people wrt 75G, BUT.... If this is based on your personal experience? Tell me more.

How many Oscars have you raised to full sized adulthood in that sized tank?

Gas mileage isn't everythingOIIIIIIIOLack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part.Why pretend there are no stupid questions? Actually, There are many stupid questions: "Should I drink this bleach?" Is just one example.
Having said that, Just because it's a stupid question doesn't mean that it shouldn't be asked. It's better to know.A warm beer is better than a cold beer. Because nothing is better than a cold beer, and a warm beer is better than nothing.

IMO it's all about footprint as long as the tanks at least a foot deep. By which I mean wide enough and deep enough for the fish to have a comfortable amount of swimming space. Like the 40g breeder as mentioned above... That tank is 36" by 18" if I'm not mistaken.